Follow Me Down
by LadyCaledonia
Summary: Darkness has taken over Wonderland. In a world where you can easily be replaced, Alfred F. Jones tries to convince his Hatter that life is worth living, if they have the love of each other but time is running out. USUK Rated T will turn M in later chapter
1. Chapter 1

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**So this is the start of my new fan fiction which will be my main focus (sorry for those waiting for more from 'Into The Woods').**

As you can see in the title, it is 'Follow Me Down'.

It is inspired from Alice in Wonderland of course, but different versions and universes, including -

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, American McGuee's Alice, The Looking Glass Wars, Alice and the Country of Hearts.

Oh, and most of these chapters will be music inspired, mostly from the 'Almost Alice' soundtrack to Tim Burton's version of the tale.

There is US x UK as well, though this will hopefully slowly build up.

Perhaps other pairings as well, but it will mainly focus on Alfred and Arthur.

Use of human names too, since this is an AU fic.

********************At the start, it focuses mainly on Alfred moving to his new home.

********************More characters will appear in later chapter.

********************And again I am aiming for atleast 1000 words a chapter.

Enjoy~

Love LadyCaledonia

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**Follow Me Down**

_When the world's crashing down_  
_When I fall and hit the ground_  
_I will turn myself around_  
_Don't you try to stop me_

_x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x_

Alfred remembered that he was five years old when he moved into his new home. They, as in his family of both mother and father, had to move because of the birth of his baby brother Matthew. Their last home was far two small for two children, and so they had somehow decided that the continent of America was far too small. Since Alfred's father had family across the pond over in Britain, they had made the move to a leafy rural area in England. Of course, Alfred was disappointed to be leaving his friends behind in America, but his father promised to teach him how to use the computer so that he could talk to his friends over the internet.

The first job he focused on was exploring the house. The house itself was from the Victorian period, making it a rather large house. Alfred's bedroom was the second biggest, his parents were the worthy ones who got the master bedroom. Alfred's window overlooked the overgrown but still moderately sized garden. Exploring that would be his next task.

Of course, the house itself had not been lived in for quite some time. He remembered his parents discussing why the previous owners were selling it. The people who had once lived here had a daughter, who strangely vanished one day and never to be seen again. The house held far to many memories of their daughter, so they felt they had to sell the house. Alfred felt sorry for this girl but being so young, he had little time to think of anyone but himself.

The grass was as tall as his waist, which his father would probably cut as soon as they had finished organising the furniture inside. Which was a shame, Alfred loved how the garden almost looked like an exotic jungle. There was a large oak tree, from which a rope swing was going back and forward in the light breeze of the day. Alfred swore that when his baby brother got a little older, he would teach him how to play on the swing, and climb the tree and loads of other neat stuff that brothers did.

Though the shining sun above made something glint, causing Alfred to turn his head in that direction. He slowly wandered over to the overgrown bushes from which he could see that glint. Grabbing some of the vines in his small hands, he tugged as hard as he could. The vines snapped with ease, pulling the leafy canvas along with it. Once he had pulled away most of the leaves and foliage, he stepped back so he could admire what it was he had found.

It was like a small house, but made of glass. He could see that inside, there were all sorts of colourful flowers that he had never seen before. Alfred was now determined to get inside to explore his findings even further. Gently running his hands over the slightly warm glass, the boy searched for some sort of door handle to get inside. Soon his hand touched cool steal behind thick ivy leaves. Tearing away the leaves, he nudged at the handle until he heard a faint click and the door creaked open.

Alfred peaked over his shoulder back at the Victorian home behind him. His parents were probabl busy arranging furniture or something to do with Matthew, they wouldn't mind him exploring even further. He nudged the door open and slipped inside the glass house. From the outside, it looked rather big, but being on the inside made it feel like he had stepped into a whole other world! Alfred swore he could hear bird calls, almost like the pretty parrots he had seen on television. The flowers were bright, almost impossible colours - neon blue, florescent pink, bright yellow. It was amazing!

The boy jumped back when a butterfly flew past his face, its wings almost striped like a large tiger! He giggled, fascinated by the fragile creature as he followed it deeper into the seemingly never ending jungle. Alfred watched as it landed on a neon blue flower, decorated in splatters of orange. The butterfly must have liked the bright colours too. However, as he stared at the butterfly, he couldn't help but hear someone singing...

With a tilt of his head, Alfred pushed back the leaves, accidentilly disturbing the butterfly and making it fly away. Alfred continued on though, determined to find whoever else was in this glass house with him. Finally though, as he hid in the large leaves and pushed on away from his eyes, he could hear the singing clearly, and who was the owner of such a charming voice -

_Twinkle twinkle, little bat_

_How I wonder where you're at_

_Up above the world so high_

_Like a tea pot in the sky!_

The singer was a male, and looked awfully younger than Alfred's own father. He could only guess the other boy was a teenager. He was dressed in clothes as colourful as the flowers around him. His jacket was different shades of green, from emerald to the deepest holly. A rose like bow was clipped to his equally red shirt. He wore burgundy trousers that were tucked into chocolate brown boots. Atop the man's sandy blonde hair, a holly green top hat decorated with a red ribbon sat. The hatted man seemed to be enjoying a picnic as he sang, sipping tea and eating a questionable looking treat.

Alfred couldn't help but stare at the wonderfully strange man. He had no idea why, but he just couldn't tear his eyes away. What was he doing in his garden? Who was he, and where did he come from? As soon as the singing had began, it had stopped and Alfred noticed how the man's dark green eyes were now aimed directly at him.

"Close your mouth, dear boy, you look like a cod fish."

Alfred gasped and slapped a hand over his mouth.

He had been well and truly busted.

**End of Chapter**

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**There seems to be a problem with the page breaks...I'll see if I can fix it. It won't let me put page breaks in so I have to make my own.**

**Oh well...**

**Short beginning chapter is rather short, but this is only the beginning. As stated before, Alfred is only 5 years old at the beginning...and as you can tell, that man would be Arthur. He would be looking around the age of 18.**

**Next chapter...Alfred gets to know this hatted stranger in his garden~**

**Read and Review please!**

**Love LadyCaledonia**

**xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

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I did get some comments on how people still want me to continue 'Kilts, Lambs and Drunken Brothers'

Well, I suppose I could do a sequel to it...perhaps...

I felt the story itself was complete and allowed people to make their own take on it...

Some people are just never happy are they?

Oh, and I got a lovely message from someone saying they wanted to draw fan art for 'Kilts, Lambs and Drunken Brothers'

Which made me smile a lot, I thought that was sweet.

THIS FAN FIC IS NOT SHOTA BY THE WAY!

It just starts from Alfred's childhood ok?

Enjoy~

Love LadyCaledonia

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**Follow Me Down**

_You were so young,  
and I guess im old.  
Open your eyes,  
ill keep mine closed_

_x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x_

"Well boy, don't just sit there, the tea is getting cold!"

Alfred was confused as to why he was getting scolded for just standing there. The man didn't seem bothered by his presence but indeed it seemed he had been expecting the boy this whole time. Cautiously (remembering his mother's words about 'stranger danger') he padded over to the hatted man and sat down near him on the multi-coloured picnic blanket that the British man was sitting on.

"So boy, what is your name then...?" asked the Brit, pouring some tea from a detailed tea pot.

Alfred pouted at the sight of tea. He much preferred coffee, which his father allowed him small sips of, but he couldn't deny the kindness of the colourful man.

"I'm Alfred Jones, and I'm five and a half years old!" he said proudly with a beaming smile.

The man chuckled in amusement as he placed the cup on a saucer and held it out to the American child. Alfred was careful of the hot cup, noticing it was so much smaller than the one the emerald eyes man held. Now that he was much closer to the man, Alfred could smell the sweet scent of cakes and sugary icing, like the treats his mother made all the time.

"What a delightful name you have" the man said, taking a careful sip of his tea. Alfred liked the warm smile that spread across the man's face from the mere taste of the drink.

"What about you Mister? What's your name?" the child asked curiously with large blue eyes.

The man glanced down at him, picking up a small tray of tea cakes and offering one to the boy. After looking at them all and deciding the strawberry tart looked the least threatening, Alfred picked up the red treat and took a bite, the strawberry staining his small lips.

"My name matters not, and my name matters less..." he sang cheerfully. "But for naming namesake you may call me Hatter."

"Is that because of your hat?" Alfred giggled, trying to lick the strawberry juice from his lips so his mother wouldn't scold him for snacking before dinner.

"It is a family name I suppose dear child..." said Hatter, offering Alfred a napkin from his coat pocket that also kept the pocket watch.

Alfred nodded his head, trying to impress the adult by making it look like he understood. He wiped his lips and shoved the napkin into his pocket, like a little keepsake. Hatter didn't seem to mind though as he went back to sipping his tea.

"Why are you in our glass house?" Alfred said, admiring the flowers around them, they almost seemed alive as they swayed in a non existing breeze.

"Can you keep a secret, you curious little child?" Hatter asked, his attention now on the boy instead of the tea he seemed so very fond of.

Alfred carefully put down his cup and stood to attention. "Of course I can! I keep secrets all the time!" he insisted.

Another small laugh from the taller blonde, which made Alfred warm inside. He liked how he was able to make this rather bizarre but brilliant looking man laugh just by speaking.

"This is a very magical place dear Alfred..." whispered Hatter, a magical glint in emerald eyes. "Think of it as...a gateway, from my home to your own...when you open that door, you are stepping not into a mere glass house...but into a land beyond your wildest dreams..."

Alfred quickly looked around him, fascinated by the information the Hatter had promised to him. He had wondered how this place seemed just too much to believe, because it was from another world! That was why there was so much colour, why flowers seemed so big and the creatures just as large.

"What is this place called...?" Alfred whispered curiously.

A slight smirk graced the Hatter's face, taking great joy in the look of awe on the boy's face...and his lips revealed an almost bigger secret than before...

"Wonderland."

_x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x_

Deeper in the vast jungle however, too far away for the human boy to realise, the conversation between the Hatter and the child was being watched. Two figured sat, in a thick smog that smelled so overpowering. One was rather small and frail, wrapped in glorious ruby and ebony robes of silk, smoking the pipe that provided the pink coverage of mist. The second was much taller, broader of chest and completely unfazed as they watched the conversation play out in the mist.

The taller man had silvery hair, of which a black and purple furry tail poked out. He also had a black and deep purple striped tail. The long frayed scarf around his neck shared a similar pattern, rather standing out against the pale violet coat.

"Why must dear Hatter look for another Alice...? We already have a perfectly good one..." purred the silver haired man, tail flickering back and forth.

The smaller one, a brunette with golden eyes, blew out some more of the pink smoke from his mouth before speaking. "I told him aru...I told him that soon, our Alice will die and she will need replaced..."

"But still, that is not for some time...and a boy of all people? What an odd choice comrade..." chuckled the tailed man.

"What did I proclaim since the beginning Chess...?" spoke the smoker. "After twelve Alices, the War of Suits will begin...black imagination against white, clashing aru..."

Violet eyes flickered out onto the pink mist. "What does this has to do with the boy...?"

"It will have everything to do with him...when the time comes..."

Silence hung over the two watchers as well as the mist...as the child chattered away to the Hatter, oblivious of what was to become of him and his hat wearing friend in due course...

**End of Chapter**

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**Ohh our two friends are being watched!**

**I have started drawing designs of the characters, when I submit them to my deviantart you might be able to have a visual aid to their clothes because I'm not very good at describing clothes...**

**Can you guess who the two watchers were...? I made it pretty obvious I think...**

**Next chapter...Hatter introduces Alfred to his other friends...**

**Read and Review please!**

**Love LadyCaledonia**

**xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

I know that it took so long for the last chapter to be uploaded

But I think there was a problem with , I had the chapter ready a week ago and this whole week, whenever I tried to upload the next chapter it came up with an error.

I hope that is everything fixed now...

**********************Enjoy~**

**********************Love LadyCaledonia**

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**Follow Me Down**

_You can go anywhere you wish cause I'll be there, wherever you are.  
_

_x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x_

Alfred spent the rest of the day with the wonderful Hatter, who told him magnificent stories about his home of Wonderland. He was told stories of a girl who followed a white rabbit down a hole, of a kingdom built like a chessboard and of a cat who's smile remained long after he disappeared.

It was with reluctance, that when the Hatter checked that golden pocket watch of his, that he told the boy it was getting late in the boy's world and thus he would have to leave.

"But I wanna hear more stories!" whined Alfred with a cute pout.

The emerald eyed man chuckled and gently pet the boy's head. "And you will hear more stories, my boy...in your dreams...now off to your own world..."

Hatter walked the boy back to the door that he had walked for, the blue eyed child gazing back at the brilliant man and his wonderful world. With a smile and a wave, the boy walked out the glass door and left the Hatter's domain.

A loud cry pierced the air around the hatted man, his emerald eyes gazing out into the vast jungle. He calmly reached for his top hat, flattening it in his hands which cause sharp blades to appear out of the hat's brim...like a spiked frisbee.

"Shall we dance again Jabberwock...?" the Hatter said darkly as his attacker made itself known...

_x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x**x_

The Hatter was right about one thing, in Alfred's dreams he met the man again though it was in a different setting than the one he had previously met him in. Instead, little Alfred was in a forest, the black trees holding no leaves. Instead, tea pots and tea cups dangled from the branches by their handles. The blonde child stopped when he came to a clearing in the forest, to be met with an incredibly long dining table. Atop the table were many sweets and treats, cups and steaming pots. He smiled as he noticed at the very head of his table was his friend the Hatter, chattering to two other people who were sat with him.

"Come Alfred, you're just in time for the tea party!" Hatter called, pulling out a seat next to him.

Alfred was eager to join the party, running over and climbing into the seat as Hatter fondly pet his head. "And who is yer friend hatter...?" asked a tall man next to the Hatter. Alfred turned to look at this man...or creature, he wasn't sure. The man was certainly taller than Hatter by a good few inches and he had fiery ember hair. His eyes were a crystal blue and he was dressed in a blue tartan waist coat and a long sleeved white shirt. His tan trousers seemed frayed at the end, and a multitude of belts hung from his waist...the most Alfred could count were four...what was weirder though that sticking out from the man's head were two long brown ears, similar to a rabbit but certainly taller...a fluffy brown tail could be seen poking out of his trousers.

"This is my new friend Alfred, he comes from the Upperland..." explained the Hatter, gesturing to the rabbity man for Alfred. "This is McHare the Nintey-Ninth..."

"Lucky ninety-nine!" laughed McHare as he drank from his chipped tea cup. "And the sleepy mouse over there is Dormy..."

At the mention, Alfred turned his head to look at the third person at the table, who right now had his head resting on the table and seemed to be snoring. He was a brunette, with curls that fell around his face. This man wore a waist coat too, though his was adorned in pale green swirls. From where Alfred was sitting, he could see that the brunette had a long mouse like tail, and mousy ears jutting out from the curls...what strange but wonderful friends the Hatter had!

"Can I stay a little longer this time...?" whispered Alfred, blue eyes darting to the many drinks and treats that adorned the table.

"You may stay as long as you like Alfred..." Hatter insisted with a sparkle in his emerald eyes. "You are our V.I.P. after all..."

The table was soon in regular chatter, except for the Doormouse who slept through the conversation...throughout the entire conversation, Alfred did not question the blood on Hatter's clothes, or the scratches on his face...

**End of Chapter**

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Sorry it took so long to be ready!

So, Scotland is going to be the March Hare (McHare) and Wales is going to be the Door Mouse (Dormy)

But who was the Jabborwock that attacked poor Hatter? What is Hatter hiding? And what will happent to poor Alfred?

We shall see!

Next chapter...disaster strikes...

**Read and Review please!**

**Love LadyCaledonia**

**xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**No one will probably notice that this fan fiction has been updated. I don't have anything else to say really.**

_**~Follow Me Down~**_

_I give myself very good advice_  
_But I very seldom follow it_  
_That explains the trouble that I'm always in_

When Alfred attempted to tell his parents of the wonderful world that he had visited, of the vibrant characters that showered him in affection and attention, he had the feeling that they did not take him seriously. Why should they, when these were the words of a child? Had they came from an adult, they may have been classed as insane. Alfred's parents however only took this passionate fascination as part of the child's imagination, to keep him occupied and content while they were getting settled into their new home and taking care of little baby Matthew. To try and answer the sunny blonde's thirst for answers on his new fantasy, his mother bought him a book titled 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. Well he dedicated himself to reading the book cover to cover, despite tripping over some of the more difficult words here and there. And in most cases, he could recognise some of the characters. Though the door mouse in these book wasn't quite as entertaining to his own Dormy, but he could understand this nonetheless. His characters, the ones he knew, were rather unique and much more animated than first glance.

His Hatter for instance was not some older middle aged man with a bumpy nose and buck teeth. Even though he was young he could say that his Hatter was pretty cool and handsome! He gave him sweets and in return Alfred would politely drink the man's tea. Hatter always had time to listen to the boy and would quite easily tell his two friends to be quiet in favour of listening to the young boy's words. Alfred also enjoyed listening to McHare as well - his accent and words were so odd! The hare man knew so many strange poems and songs that he would sing with his beloved mouse friend...

Alfred didn't want to show his new found friends his book, in case he may have insulted them with it (how he could have, he had no idea but he didn't want to be rude anyway). With the amount of time that Alfred spent with his new friends and with his family in the real world, time seemed to slip so suddenly. Before he or anyone else knew it, Alfred was now a healthy ten year old boy, playing and laughing with his now five year old brother. Of course, while Alfred was happy to play with the curly haired blonde, he refused to share with his sibling his secret Wonderland. It may have been selfish, but he thought that since he found it he should be able to keep it his secret. He wanted to keep Hatter, McHare and Dormy all to himself. He should be allowed to anyway, finders keepers!

But still... as he grew older, he couldn't help but notice...changes in his wonderful world...

The blood that appeared on his friends' clothes.

The scars and stitches tracing Hatter's skin.

The way the flowers seemed to wilt away.

And he wasn't sure if he liked them.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The beautiful blonde haired woman stood atop her balcony, gazing out onto the kingdom below. Wonderland it was called, yet all she saw was a graveyard. A graveyard perhaps because of the thousands of people that died each day. Did anyone care? No, no one but herself cared. Why was that again?

'Because...you are an Outsider aru...'

The words of the Oracle rang in her ears. Yes, she was an Outsider, she came from the Upperland...yet here she was now, King of Hearts, King of Wonderland and why? Because she had killed the last queen, killed her to ensure the freedom of her friends. Yet her friends were no longer alive, like everyone else they had died and had been replaced. All that she fought for, it no longer existed. So what was the point of her rule anymore? What had she become?

"Ahh...mon cher, what are you doing out here? You will catch a death of cold, non?"

The woman turned ro the blonde man who had spoke to her, robes as red as her own. This man was her Queen, he had been the husband of the previous King, until she herself had killed her. Now, by law, he was married to her but she did not love him. She had figured out by now that even though he was the Queen, he held no love for whatever woman he was made to be with. Oh no, he was much more interested in the male servants of the castle. A jealous ripple went through her but she shook it off.

"Something feels wrong...I don't know why though..." the King replied, gazing down yet again.

A smirk crossed the face of the Queen. He removed the ruby broach from his crisp white shirt, and in his hands it turned into a subtle dagger. "That is because my dear, your reign has come to an end. I no longer need you...I shall be grasping this land now, and Outsiders are no longer welcome."

Before the King could react, her Queen had physically stabbed her in the back. Yet, unlike the Wonderlanders, she would not return. She was an Outsider, and for Outsiders, death was the final sleep. Her body crumbled to the black and white checkered marble floor, the red blood greatly amusing the Queen. His smirk remained on his face, looking up at the sky as dark black clouds invaded the sky. The war of suits...it was beginning...and he had started it, much to his glee.

"Kesesese...finally got rid of the bimbo your majesty?"

The Queen turned his head to look at his general, a monstrosity of a creature. His body mostly resembled that of an Outsider, yet there were parts of him that were crudely malformed. His hands were sewn on claws with dark silver scales, similar darkly scaled wings adorned his back and a viciously thick scaled tail swished back and forth behind him. His eyes were a bloody red, tiny slits hinting at the madness that threatened his general's madness. His hair was just as silvery as his scales and though the man was clearly deranged, he was the Queen's most loyal subject.

"Oiu I have...and now is the time to take action. I want my Hatter returned to me, and his precious little Outsider to be killed. Is that understood?"

The malformed man gave a nod, his sickly grin showing rows of sharp dagger like teeth. "Ja, of course your majesty~"

With a whoosh of air the winged general was gone and left the Queen with the bloody remains of the King.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"It's time to go to sleep Alfred..."

Though normally Alfred would whine at his mother, he reluctantly nodded his head as he cuddled into his pillows, his pet cat Hero curling up next to him. Alfred's mother smiled down at her eldest child, cradling the equally young Matthew in her arms. She pressed a kiss to Alfred's head before carrying Matthew out with her. She forgot to shut the door as Alfred drifted into his safe haven...

Something was oddly different when he arrived in his Wonderland this time though. The faces of his friends seemed to be strained, as if they were forcing the smiles on their faces. Their words didn't have the same joyful banter. He had to know what was wrong. "Are you guys mad at me or something...?" asked Alfred with an adorable pout.

Only the clatter of their tea cups answered him. McHare and Dormy wouldn't meet his gaze and eventually he turned to look at the Hatter. The man who was so usually vibrant seemed...downtrodden. "...Wonderland isn't safe for you anymore Alfred..." muttered Hatter as he put down his tea cup. "You have to stay away for now..."

Now this was odd, what was going on? "I...I like it here, I don't want to leave..." whined Alfred, looking around at his friends.

"It's...it's for yer own good laddie..." McHare answered for the Hatter.

In his moment of upset, Alfred faded from his dream, stirring in the real world. His blues eyes glanced out his open door to hear crying...was Matthew having a nightmare...? He sometimes spoke in his sleep...but he was easily dragged back into his dream...

His eyes widened as he heard the smashing of tea cups and pots, a sinister voice was laughing as he noticed that McHare and Dormy were standing in front of him and Hatter, as if ready to face. "H-Hatter...?" whimpered Alfred, not sure what was going on. Was there...was there fire...? The forest was burning! Why weren't they running?

"Save yourself Alfred!" Hatter insisted, pushing the boy away from the fiery scene. Alfred stared wide eyed back as he stumbled, he could make out a hideous creature with flaring red eyes glaring at him...Again he was awake, but not quite. His blue eyes noticed someone standing in his doorway, someone he didn't recognize. He quickly shut his eyes, afraid that this person would hurt him. They must have left because he heard the person creep away...he wouldn't forget those red eyes...

Screaming woke him again. Fire, there was fire everywhere. He coughed as the smoke was trying to fill his small lungs, quickly climbing out of his bed. Alfred couldn't escape, the flames were setting his door alight. The young boy heard the shouts of her parents, telling him to try and escape.

"SAVE YOURSELF ALFRED!"

Alfred covered his mouth to try and stop the smoke, somehow managing to hear the mewls of his beloved cat Hero at the window sill. The window was open, he could escape through there! He scrambled for the window, the heat making him dizzy...but...he couldn't...faint now...The last thing he remembered hearing as he collapsed onto the snow covered grass from outside his burning home...was a dark laughter ringing in his ears...

'Kesesese...'

**End of Chapter**

**This one took on a more darker tone I supposed...**

**Heavily inspired by American McGuee's Alice.**

**R&R**

**LadyCaledonia**


	5. Chapter 5

**From this point on the fiction will be heavily influenced by American McGuee's Alice and Alice Madness Returns. So expect dark themes. Also, some characters are pretty much bastards in this. I'm not very sorry if I've made a character you like into a villain.**

_**~Follow Me Down~**_

_xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx_

_I invite you to a world where there is no such thing as time  
And every creature lends them self to change your state of mind  
And the girl that chase the rabbit drank the wine and took the pill  
Has locked herself in limbo to see how it truly feels  
To stand outside your virtue  
No one can ever hurt you, or so they say_

___xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx_

Everything after the fire became a blur to poor Alfred. Sirens blared in his ears as the firemen tackled the flames, and he was left sitting in the snow, shivering as people crowded around him with their gossiping voices. Policemen arrived to take him away and try to question him, if he knew if there was any way he knew how the fire began. Alfred didn't reply, the shock and fear forbidding his body from reacting to the outside world. People passed by him and he could hear snippets of their conversation. He had been the only survivor of the fire. His whole family were dead, their bodies barely identifiable. Alfred was now an orphan.

An orphan that no one believed.

Eventually he did find the courage to speak to them, but whatever he said was shot down. He spoke about the creature with bloody red eyes that breathed fire and set his home alight but no. They classed him as delusional. Experts were brought in, and said that his survivor's guilt had turned his childish mind to insanity. He was alone now, no one was on his side. Even the family lawyer used this as an excuse to take whatever the family had owned away from Alfred - that man took away Alfred's inheritance. Even worse, Alfred was abandoned - no one came forward to claim him as a relative.

Alfred F. Jones, orphaned at the age of ten, was left in the Rutledge Asylum for the Clinically Insane.

The place was a living hell, the bleached white walls tainted in shades of grey and puke green. The blonde haired boy spent his days strapped into a straight jacket, refusing meals from the horrible chef who he was sure wanted to devour him (Alfred found that spending time with the insane was starting to affect his once innocent mind). The doctors and nurses cared not for the patients and took great joy in experimenting on their crying and weeping inmates. The man who owned the asylum, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, was just as cruel as the very doctors employed within the walls yet his cruelty was more psychological. The man had two nephews who were left to run amok and taunt the patients - the Vargas Twins. They were the same age as Alfred yet the blonde despised the young Italians. Well, he took that back, he despised Romano who was a carbon copy of his despicable uncle. Feliciano was actually not as cruel...

Alfred was desperate the escape into the paradise of his Wonderland but this was denied to him. With the heavy sedatives that were forcefully injected into him, Alfred never got a peaceful sleep. Even when he did managed to doze, his mind was plagued with nightmares. Of the flames engulfing his home and family, of those blood red eyes gazing at him hungrily and of the fearful face of his beloved Hatter who screamed at him to save himself...

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Nine years. He had been trapped in this hell for nine years. Alfred F. Jones was no longer the innocent boy he had been when he first entered the Rutledge gates - his clear blue eyes had lost their youthful sparkle, his sunny blonde hair a dirty shade now and dark rings clouded his eyes behind his glasses. He had out grown many straight jackets during his stay and he had built up a reputation as a very sick man. Why was he classed this way? Because he continued to speak of his Wonderland.

Of a cat who would leave his grin behind. Of trees that grew tea cups instead of leaves. Of a dance where even the lobsters and fish joined in. No one believed him of course. It just fueled their beliefs that Alfred was a lost cause, and the only use he was now was to be a guinea pig for the doctors and nurses to try their painful treatments on. However, one day though, something happened that would probably change his life.

Alfred managed to have a dream, not a nightmare but a real dream.

At first he thought it was maybe a nightmare. He was surrounded by a thick pink smog, with no clear path of escape. Alfred heard a voice, soft and welcoming that seemed to be singing...not to any exact tune. He thought in vain maybe it was his Hatter but the voice wasn't the same, this one sounded of a different region than his British hatted man. Alfred rubbed his tired eyes and as he did so some of the pink mist seemed to fade away, revealing a giant mushroom.

He walked closer, noticing that someone was actually sitting on the fungi. Alfred would describe the man as Chinese in origin, his clothes seemed to say so anyway. The man was dressed in red and black silk robes that hid his legs, reminding Alfred of a caterpillar. The long curled antennae poking out of soft hazel hair seemed to give that image anyway. The man's hair was long and tied into a low pony tail which was slung over one shoulder. His golden eyes were half lidded as he inhaled from a long pipe, when he blew out the smoke was pink and forming random letters of the alphabet. Eventually though the man turned his lazy gaze onto the lonely blonde.

"Who...are...you...aru..." murmured the Asian, his voice almost like a whisper.

"My name is Alfred F. Jones..." came the blonde's reply, hardened and confident despite how fragile his mind actually was.

"Ah yes...I remember you, friend of the Hatter aru..."

Alfred's eyes widened at the mention of his long lost friend. Was he...was he in Wonderland? But...his Wonderland wasn't like this...dingy, dark - like the asylum. "Do you know Hatter?" asked Alfred, desperate for answers. "And who are you...?"

"I am the first and last, the beginning and end...I am the Oracle aru..." was the cryptic reply. "And yes, I know Hatter. I was there when he was born..."

"Please...tell me what's happened to him...is this Wonderland...?"

The blue eyed man waited as the Oracle took another puff of his pipe, golden eyes watching the smoke take on different shapes - a heart, a spade, a club and a diamond. "Wonderland is at war with itself..." muttered the Oracle. "Twelve Alices have died within our land...the Queen of Hearts reigns once more, black imagination is corrupting the white...all because of you..."

"M-Me...? Why me?" snapped Alfred, angered by this person's remark. How was it his fault?

"Because Hatter wanted you to live..." Oracle whispered. "But even that couldn't save you. You are now part of our game, and you will never be free of your prison until you right the wrongs of this world aru..."

Alfred felt his hands shut into fists. He didn't want to blamed for this. The fire, he knew, it wasn't his fault. That creature, it was his fault! He attacked Hatter and his friends at the tea party, it must have followed him back into his own world somehow! How, he couldn't figure that out but he was determined to set things right - he owed Hatter that much. "How do I fix this...?"

Oracle blew more of the pink smoke but this time it formed into a shape that Alfred instantly recognized - A pocket watch. Hatter's pocket watch. "Hatter has lost his Heart. If you are to set this right, you must return his heart to him aru..."

"His Heart...? But...where do I find it...?" the blonde muttered.

"You've had it with you all this time aru..." murmured the Oracle.

The pink smoke began to choke him then, making Alfred violently cough as he covered his mouth. His mind was cast back to the night of the fire, of smoke filling his lungs...he had climbed out the window, collapsed onto the snow as the flames flickered behind him...but something glinted in the snow next to Alfred. Weakly, he reached out to grab it - a gold pocket watch, an H entwined with a heart engraved on it. He had opened up the watch and found a clock staring back at him...and a note. A note which was stained with blood. His shaky hands opened it up to stare at the words scrawled onto it...

_'Save us Alfred'_

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Alfred awoke from the dream with a start, his tired eyes staring up at the ceiling. He noticed that for some reason, he wasn't wearing his straight jacket, it was lying on the floor beside his mattress. Finally he was able to sit up...as he did so, the moonlight drifting in through the barred window caught something, making it shine. The American looked down at his chest to see a chain around his neck, something dangling from his. His hands slowly reached up to stroke over the engraving before he opened it up, staring at the familiar clock face...

_'Alfred...what have you done...?'_

That hissing voice echoed in his mind as he felt himself being...pulled...inside the pocket watch...

And he fell into his limbo once more.

He was returning to Wonderland.

**End of Chapter**

**Anyone confused? Good. This should be filled with riddles to keep your brains occupied. Oh, and for some people who couldn't figure it out.**

**Gilbert = General Jabberwocky**

**China = The Oracle/Caterpillar**

**Russia = Chess/Cheshire Cat**

**R&R**

**LadyCaledonia**


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